BRUNSWICK, Maine — After 92 years, the Frank J. Wood bridge may look tired, but a local group said there should be plenty of life left in the old bridge if the Maine DOT does the needed repairs.
The DOT said the bridge between Brunswick and Topsham is worn out and needs to be replaced, and has a plan to do that.
The Friends of the Frank J. Wood bridge have been fighting the MDOT for more than three years and, along with two national historic preservation groups, took the state agency to court last year to block the project. Their lawsuit claimed the Department of Transportation was not following federal law that requires it to preserve historic structures if possible, which the Friends group said it is.
“And the DOT has acknowledged in multiple reports they can rehabilitate this bridge so it will meet the purpose and need of the project and they simply don’t want to maintain it going forward,” said Scott Hanson of Topsham, a historic preservation consultant hired by Waterfront Maine, the owner of the Fort Andros Mill.
The old mill building is the largest commercial property in downtown Brunswick and is home to multiple local businesses. Waterfront Maine has now joined the Friends appeal of the court ruling, filing a Friend of the Court brief in the case federal appeals court.
Among other points, it argues that the bridge links the two historic mills on either side of the Androscoggin River into a single historic district. It said demolishing the bridge would harm both the mill renovation efforts and the historic nature of that district.
A Maine DOT spokesman wouldn’t comment on the court case, but in a written statement said:
“Nothing has changed with regard to the thorough analysis, consideration, and the decision to replace the bridge. The project record is all available online, including extensive historic evaluation and discussions of the impacts of the project.”
But Hanson, the historic preservation consultant, said building that new bridge would be a mistake for the future of the communities.
“And to put a strikingly modern concrete bridge into this (historic) context will just alter it forever.”
The Southern Midcoast Chamber of Commerce, which covers the Brunswick-Bath area, said in a newspaper column Thursday that many people in the area do not agree with the Friends.
The column argues the towns need a dependable bridge and that the Friends group is a small minority.
“For many of us, it’s (a) well-lived bridge that needs replacement. It’s a safety issue.”
The federal appeals court is expected to rule on the case in the coming months, possibly this year, although the time frame is not known.